Bluffworks Ascender Chinos Review: Travel Pants I Can’t Live Without

It takes a lot for me to like chinos. I’m typically a jeans guy, but every now and then I either have a business trip or a “dress-up” occasion for which Becca insists I put on some “nice pants.”

And then there’s travel: it’s hard to find decent-looking pants that will do me a solid even if I need to wear them on a plane. I’m talking about handy pockets that hold everything from a passport to a receipt I need to expense, to stretchy comfort.

In this review, find out why I swear by the Bluffworks Ascender Chinos and why they’re the first pair of travel pants I grab if I have to pack for some time away.

The Score View detailed breakdown

Bluffworks Ascender Chinos

4.55 / 5

The Bluffworks Ascender Chinos are exceptional travel pants with 10 total pockets, wrinkle-resistant fabric, and excellent durability that have held up for 5 years, making them perfect for business travel and casual wear.

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Summary of the Ascender Chinos

Here’s a bit about these travel chinos in a nutshell:

• They’ve performed for my travel uses as a wrinkle-free business casual or business formal pair of pants and slacks.
• I’ve found great use of the 10 total pockets, including the 3 zipper pockets.
• In terms of quality, I’ve had mine for five years and they’ve held up excellently.
• They’re priced on par with what I see from most menswear brands these days, and they’re often on sale.
• They come in 8 versatile and timeless colors, so I’ve been able to make them casual pants, or business professional pants.

Main Pros and Cons

I know you’re here to learn about the biggest benefits and lowest downfalls of the Ascender Chinos. Here they are.

Pros

• The fit: No matter how I change over the years, the Ascender chinos seem to still fit and are a continually flattering pair of pants I own.
• The fabric: it’s lightweight, perfectly stretchy, durable and wrinkle-free.
• The pockets: Hands-down one of the best features of these pants are the 10 thoughtful and handy pockets, which are everywhere, and a few have zippers, to protect against theft.
• They’re machine-washable. Anything less would not pass in our house!

Cons

• Truly, there is very little that’s bad about these travel pants.
• If I had to name something, it’s that they’re getting worn out in the seat and suffering from a little bit of discoloration, but that’s probably because I’ve had them for five years and they’ve traveled to a LOT of wedding rehearsal dinners and a few business meetings.

Main features I appreciate

I’m going to run through the main features that make the Ascender Chinos pretty special, as well as some of the best travel pants for men in the industry.

The fabric

Bluffworks takes a lot of pride in their fabrics, and I outline everything I know about the Ascender line at my Bluffworks brand review. While it’s simply 100% polyester, it’s lightweight, soft and easy to care for. This means no dry cleaning needed.

Becca usually throws them in the washer with all our other clothes. Then, she hangs them dry. She has never, ever had to iron them because of the wrinkle-free properties that make them great for folding up into a packing cube when we travel.

The stretch

So, how stretchy are these chinos? They’re stretchy, even in the waistband.

I continually test them by crouching down, and seeing what they can do. Check out this photo.

The pockets

This is really the hallmark of the Ascender Chinos, and I’ve come to really care about all the pockets in the “shorts version” of these pants, which are my Ascender Shorts from Bluffworks as well. After getting used to this many handy pockets, nothing seems to measure up from other brands, if that makes sense.

Here is a rundown of the pockets:

• Front: Basically, there are pockets INSIDE the other pockets. This is very cool. A rundown is as follows: 2 regular slash pockets, a zipper pocket inside each of the slash pockets, phone sleeve pocket, “utility” pocket, money pouch pocket. I don’t know how they even fit all these pockets on one pair of pants.
• Back: “Signature Bluffworks Phone Pocket” at the waist, standard back pocket, zippered back pocket

I’ll make a note here: some reviews I’ve seen critique the fact that the back of the Ascender chinos is asymmetrical in that one pocket has no zipper, and the other is a zipper pocket. I don’t tend to mind.

Some other reviewers have said that this takes away from the classic Chino look. Again, it doesn’t bother me, and I find the zipper pocket useful, especially if I’m sitting in the car wearing the Ascender Chinos and I don’t want anything to fall out.

Style & fit

I like my pants tapered, and the Ascender Chinos are nearly there. I am wearing a 32x30, and the length is appropriate for where the bottom of the legs hit my shoes.

For a pair of chinos that I tend to wear with a button-down, tucked in, I’m happy with the style. They’re also quite timeless: I don’t see them going out of style anytime soon.

If you asked me what I like best about the style, I’d say that these chinos actually flatter my form. I’ve tried other chinos that hang off my body in the wrong ways. The Ascender Chinos tend to hit the spot, and they work for lots of body types.

Something exciting for Bluffworks fans is that they’ve come out with two types of fits in most products: Tailored Fit, and Regular Fit. If you’re not clear on the difference between the two or which would make you look more dapper, I’d suggest ordering both and seeing which does the trick.

Colors

Since I first got these pants (when they only came in 4 colors), they now come in 8 great shades of khakis, greens, grays and browns. I actually just ordered them in Desert Khaki and Aged Clay, in addition to Voyager Grey, the color I’ve had for years.

With this many colors, there are loads of ways to make Ascender Chinos versatile. With the greens and khakis, I can see wearing these out to a brewery on the weekend, or into the office on a casual day.

In the more formal colors of Asphalt Black and Matte Navy, you can pair a Bluffworks blazer with them while on a trip, and immediately you’ve got a decent outfit for a wedding event, or an attractive setup for a meeting.

I’ve even seen photos of guys hiking and climbing (like, real climbing) in their Ascender Chinos. I guess the sky’s the limit when you have great travel pants.

Ways to wear the Ascender Chinos

As I mentioned, I was packing for a business trip recently. In my mind, I wanted to pack khakis, but I realized I didn’t like many of the ones I had. I reached for my gray Ascender Chinos, to pack those.

I knew they’d go with my Bluffworks Lenox button-down travel shirts (they don’t wrinkle), and that they’d come out of my suitcase looking like they were never folded up.

I’ve worn my Ascender Chinos to countless events for weddings, with Becca. We’ve traveled to weddings in Los Angeles, Texas, Chicago and even abroad. The Ascender Chinos have always been my top pick for “decent pants” that are travel-forward and go with pretty much anything, from casual to business formal.

The cost

Bluffworks prices their products pretty fairly, and I have to say, they are one of the companies out there that really has sales. You don’t even have to wait for Black Friday or Labor Day sales: they have random sales throughout the year and sometimes they have sales on certain colors.

I don’t think the price of the Ascender Chinos is anything to bat an eye at. In fact, loads of companies are pricing the same sorts of travel chinos at double the price, hoping consumers will pay it.

One of the reasons I continue to wear Bluffworks is because the price is on par with the quality, timelessness and durability of all their products. I’ve been very happy having the Bluffworks pieces in my closet be top of mind for almost half a decade.

Detailed score breakdown

Bluffworks Ascender Chinos

4.55 / 5

The Bluffworks Ascender Chinos are exceptional travel pants with 10 total pockets, wrinkle-resistant fabric, and excellent durability that have held up for 5 years, making them perfect for business travel and casual wear.

Comfort against skin

92%

Very comfortable with stretchy fabric that allows for movement and crouching. The pants feel good against skin and are comfortable for extended wear.

Fit & sizing accuracy

88%

Good fit with tapered style that flatters the form. Available in Regular Fit and Tailored Fit options, with appropriate length for 32x30 sizing.

Materials & easy care

94%

Excellent materials with wrinkle-resistant fabric that comes out of suitcases looking like they were never folded. Machine washable and easy to care for.

Breathability in motion

86%

Good breathability with the travel-friendly fabric that works well in various climates and temperatures.

Temperature regulation

84%

Good temperature regulation - work well in various climates and can be worn in different weather conditions.

Stretch & shape retention

90%

Excellent stretch retention - the fabric maintains its shape and stretch properties even after 5 years of heavy use.

Pocket function & security

98%

Outstanding pocket organization with 10 total pockets including 3 zipper pockets. The asymmetrical back pocket design with one zippered pocket provides excellent security.

Wrinkle resistance

96%

Excellent wrinkle resistance - the pants come out of suitcases looking like they were never folded, perfect for business travel.

Overall value for price

92%

Excellent value considering the quality, durability, and features. The pants have held up for 5 years and are often on sale, making them a great investment.

How we score gear

But wait: the Ascender Shorts are awesome, too

Behold how awesome my Ascender Shorts are. I tried them after getting my Ascender Chinos (in the original pants version). I have them in blue, and gray. The blue ones are so worn out for wearing them mostly every day of the past three summers that the color is fading on the fronts and the legs. But they’re hanging in there, even after all the love I’ve given them.

They’re a top pick in my list of the best travel shorts for men. I barely hesitated in choosing them and they’re always in my bag for a warm-weather trip.

The Ascender Shorts have all the great properties that the original Chinos do: wrinkle-resistant, machine-washable, 9 total pockets (have you ever seen this before in a pair of shorts?) and 3 of the pockets have zippers. There is even a side zipper pocket in the middle of the leg.

It’s handy, and helps avoid pickpockets when traveling.

I’ve worn them all around the world, and they keep my stuff secure. With a 9” inseam, they’re a little longer than the 8” inseam I typically wear, but, they do well with “dressing up” with a button-down shirt and remaining modest.

How to buy the Ascender Chinos or Ascender Shorts

As a long-time Bluffworks fan, there’s one thing to know for sure: buy all your Bluffworks attire at the Bluffworks website. It’s how you’ll get free returns within the US, nice customer service when you have questions and free US shipping.

Plus, by shopping on the Bluffworks site, you can use our exclusive discount code for 15% off: use the code HHTRAVEL15 at checkout. It’s that easy!